Northern Irish breeder AJ Graham topped the annual Rouge Sheep Society show and sale at Carlisle for the second year running. This time it was for his ram lamb Tullyvallen Snoop Dog who headed the sale at 2000gns. Sired by Prix Du Marolleau who won Reserve Champion at Paris Show last year and out of a Drumhirk Victorious sired daughter who was unbeaten when shown as a gimmer. Snoop Dog was purchased by AJ Carter, Millcroft Farm, Devon.

Percy Tait of Wor…cester sold the next two leading prices in the ram section at 820gns and 800gns respectively. First to sell at 820gns was a substitute entry, Knighton R956, a son of Knighton Morton and out of a Romer Harry bred daughter. This shearling sold to local enthusiasts Messrs Mitchell, Grassknop Farm, Penrith

The 800gn shearling entry from Mr Tait was another homebred ram, Knighton 12931, who is by Munday Moriarty and also out of a Romer Harry bred dam. This shearling ram won Reserve Male Champion at RHS and then went on to win the Male Championship at the Three Counties Show. He was purchased by J Richardson & Sons, Townsend Farm, Peterborough.

In the female classes the 1st prize shearling gimmer, Female and Reserve Supreme Champion Kinsella Robin commanded a price of 1400gns to top this section. She had been brought over from Northern Ireland with Co Antrim based breeder George Knox and was heading back the same way when purchased by John Harbinson for his Glenkeen flock based in Co Londonderry. Robin is a daughter of Bennachie President and is out of a Kinsella Jasper bred mother.

Preston Farms from Co Tyrone purchased the next three best females, two at 500gns and one at 650gns. These were all shearling gimmers from AJ Graham, with the first being Tullyvallen Razzle a Kyleen Draper sired entry selling for 650gns. Her full sister, Tullyvallen Red Lips, went for 500gns and the third gimmer at the same price, Tullyvallen Rosie, being a Tullyvallen Premiere daughter.

In the Rou-Tex section, the top price was 780gns for a shearling ram sold by John Harbinson. The February born entry is be the registered Beltex ram Skiddaw View Trapper and out of the Rouge ewe Glengalliagh Kirstin. He was purchased by J Smeaton of Perth.

]]>http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/carlisle-sale-report-2/feed/0http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/carlisle-sale-report-2/Powerside Flock – Erica Avishttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RougeSheep/~3/8TQuuB7gVp0/
http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/powerside-flock-erica-avis/#commentsSun, 17 Jul 2016 10:14:44 +0000http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/?p=829A closed commercial flock running 200 homebred ewe’s, predominantly now Rouge X Texel/Beltex. Our aim is to produce good quality smart commercial lambs and good reliable replacement females. Originally a dairy farm running a small flock of ewe’s alongside. When milk production ceased it left the way for a increase in sheep numbers. Once I returned home to farm full time we wanted to improve and modernise our foundation flock of good quality Texel bred ewe’s. I wanted to improve on the flock’s lambing percentage and the ease of which they lambed, I felt lambs could be more vigorous at birth and ewe’s milkier. I also wanted to produce a better quality carcase and produce a flock that was ideally better to handle due to my bad back and health issues.

Having had experience of several breeds and non proving to be of our liking, we decided to purchase a Rouge ram in 2009, Jets Highway, along with two females, our decision was based on the Rouge’s fine bone and carcase quality. This proved to be for us a valuable decision. The resulting gimmer shearing’s have gone on to be the turning point in our flock. They had remarkable ease of lambing, excellent mothering abilities, were extremely milky with excellent feet. Something the original Texel’s struggled with, on our very sandy soils. The next year we purchased our first Beltex ram, purely to add extra shape and tightness of frame to the finished lamb. In 2010 we purchased another Rouge ram, Langlands Lord Almighty, who has produced some outstanding and much valued daughter’s in our flock. The ewe’s we are now running, some now being three quarter bred Rouge, have proved they are excellent prolific mothers, easy to handle, can adapt to change quickly, being on sandy land we can go from lush grass to dessert like conditions in a matter of days so its important ewe’s can adapt, they have good strong feet and produce quality quick growing solid lambs.

Lambing mid January to late February, we like to sell all male lambs by ideally mid to late June, selling them as they feel fit, weighing from 34Kg to 42kg, producing a good solid carcase. We then run the gimmer lambs on to be either finished as hogs or retained for breeding. A number of Gimmer shearlings are available for sale each year along with a couple of Rouge X Beltex Ram’s.

All stock is sold through Wharfedale Farmers Auction Market, Otley. Having been very successful at the Monthly Show & Sale of prime lambs and Christmas Fat Stock Show’s winning many prize’s. This year proving to be our best let having gained prizes in every class we have entered so far, winning the July show for under 42kg recently. We have also been fortunate to top the market on many occasions not just with lambs or hogs but also our cull ewe’s. Although new to commercial lamb classes, a pair of our black Rouge X gimmer lambs came 5th at The English Winter Fair last year and we hope to compete at Countryside Live and English Winter Fair this year with a team of lambs.

In my opinion the Rouge helps create the perfect product not only for this flock but today’s modern commercial flock in general, meeting the demands of a changing modern market equally well. I look forward to meeting new faces at forth coming sale’s show’s and would like to take the opportunity to thank the society for asking me to help promote the breed and if I may my mum and dad, especially my mum, who not only provided me with a excellent foundation flock to begin with but who taught me everything in the beginning so I could build upon their years of hard work.

]]>http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/powerside-flock-erica-avis/feed/0http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/powerside-flock-erica-avis/Royal Welsh Entry schedulehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RougeSheep/~3/z7l_6PPz6hA/
http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/royal-welsh-entry-schedule/#commentsWed, 30 Mar 2016 22:09:27 +0000http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/?p=826Follow the link below to enter your sheep. Please support the classes if you can with both pedigree and commercial sheep.

http://www.rwas.wales/competition-schedules/

]]>http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/royal-welsh-entry-schedule/feed/0http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/royal-welsh-entry-schedule/Great Yorkshire Entry schedulehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RougeSheep/~3/wROWyeiC_88/
http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/great-yorkshire-entry-schedule/#commentsWed, 30 Mar 2016 21:57:00 +0000http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/?p=824Follow the link below to enter your sheep. Please support the classes if you can with both pedigree and commercial sheep.

http://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/entries-results

]]>http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/great-yorkshire-entry-schedule/feed/0http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/great-yorkshire-entry-schedule/Royal Highland Entry Schedulehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RougeSheep/~3/80-je4a2FkY/
http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/royal-highland-entry-schedule/#commentsWed, 30 Mar 2016 21:54:20 +0000http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/?p=822Follow the link below to enter your sheep. Please support the classes if you can with both pedigree and commercial sheep.

]]>http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/a-great-summer-for-the-knighton-flock/feed/0http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/a-great-summer-for-the-knighton-flock/Rouge Show success in the North East of Scotlandhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RougeSheep/~3/1d0UMOdYxwk/
http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/news/rouge-show-success-in-the-north-east-of-scotland/#commentsFri, 09 Oct 2015 19:20:37 +0000http://www.rouge-society.co.uk/?p=783First week Echt Show. “Any Other Breed” with up to 20 sheep of various breeds in the Classes. Flo Viegend Paard 1st in Class and went on to be Male Champion and Champion of Any Other Breed. We also took the Group of Four along with the Ewe 4th, Gimmer 3rd, Ram lamb 3rd, and Ewe lamb 2nd.

Next New Deer Show “Any Other Breed” this time the average size of the classes was 15. Bennachie Nordica was 1st in class Female Champion and reserve Champion. We also took the Group of Three along with Aged ram 1st, Gimmer 2nd, Ram lamb 3rd and Ewe lamb 2nd.

Next week Banchory Show we faced a new challenge there ” Any Other Continental Breed”. This included Beltex, Charollais, Blue Du Maine, Vendeen and Zwarble. Bennachie Pennie took the limelight as Champion. We again took the Group along with Aged ram 1st, Ewe 2nd, Ram lamb 4th and Ewe lamb 4th.

Final Show Turriff “Any Other Breed Accredited this time again big classes. Bennachie Nordica shown through again taking Female Champion and Reserve Champion. Aged ram 1st, Gimmer 2nd, Ram lamb 3rd and Ewe lamb 3rd. 2015 has been a great show season, here’s to next year.